Dubbo CYMS have advanced to the Peter McDonald Premiership final after defeating Mudgee Dragons 34-4 on Sunday afternoon.
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Apex Oval was packed with spectators who were eager to watch two of the competition's best teams clash but it was all about the home side.
In what could've been his final game for the club before heading to Sydney, Riley Wake was impressed with how his side handled the big moments.
"It was a good tough win, it was a good team effort so it was good to come away with the win," he said.
Mudgee's Cameron McCall knows his side wasn't at the best but conceded they came against strong opposition.
"It was a tough one, they are a good side," he said
"You can't afford to give them that much possession and expect to get a win.
"I thought we were in it until half time but they just had too much possession."
Things started off perfectly for CYMS as halfback Jordi Madden strolled over inside the first 10 minutes to score the first try of the match before Brad Pickering slotted the conversion.
Billy Sing was the next to score for CYMS after being on the receiving of a clever pass from Pickering as CYMS stretched their lead out to 12-0.
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CYMS' dominant half continued as Jeremy Thurston scored his side's third try of the day as the host led 16-0 at the break.
Tempers flared at the start of the second half as Jyie Chapman and Nathan Orr were both sin-binned.
Mudgee looked to get back in the game and were starting to find some momentum as Charlie Clayton scored out wide.
Chapman quickly made up for his mistake when he returned to the field after scoring directly under the posts.
Late tries to Corey Drew and Jayden Merritt sealed the win for CYMS who will now face Forbes in the final.
Without Luke Jenkins, Fletcher Haycock was forced to play the full match at hooker and Wake thought the side did well adapting to the changes.
"We had a couple of boys who train in a number of different positions and can fill," he said.
"They just are the next man up and just get the job done."
Having won the SG Ball competition earlier this year with Penrith, Wake is enjoying a strong 2022 and said he is enjoying his footy.
"It's unreal, I've been lucky enough to play with the boys here," he said.
"I've also been lucky enough to be in some good teams through footy so I'm very grateful."
McCall thought his side looked a lot better in the second 40 minutes but was sad to see their season end.
"I thought we came out of halftime really strong but once again silly penalties and errors," he said.
"They are a good team and you can't give them that much possession."
When asked who he thought would win the final next week, McCall had a pretty straightforward answer.
"It's hard to go past Dubbo," he said.
"They've lost one game all year and I think it was in round one.
"They are a quality side.
"You can probably count on one hand how many errors they made today."
DUBBO CYMS 34 (Jordi Madden, Jeremy Thurston, Jayden Merritt, Jyie Chapman, Corey Drew, Billy Sing tries; Brad Pickering 5 goals) defeated MUDGEE DRAGONS 4 (Charlie Clayton try)
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